Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barreiras and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Barreiras: $825 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Barreiras
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Barreiras Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Barreiras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$825

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barreiras and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barreiras and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $825 in Barreiras versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Barreiras $825
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,329 in Barreiras versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Barreiras $1,329
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,833 in Barreiras versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Barreiras $1,833
Nosara $3,712

Living in Barreiras costs roughly 55% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barreiras is 38% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.88 R$29.37

$12.22 ₡5,509

-51.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.82 R$154

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-48.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.98 R$34.82

$7.54 ₡3,399

-7.43%

Cappuccino

$1.97 R$9.81

$4.31 ₡1,941

-54.29%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 R$6.15

$1.72 ₡773

-28.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.61

$1.35 ₡608

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 R$10.00

$3.24 ₡1,459

-38.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 R$14.14

$4.48 ₡2,018

-36.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 R$5.19

$1.57 ₡707

-33.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 R$7.92

$3.17 ₡1,429

-49.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 R$5.94

$2.42 ₡1,091

-50.83%

Eggs

$2.14 R$10.70

$3.57 ₡1,609

-40.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.29 R$46.39

$7.43 ₡3,349

25.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.04 R$20.15

$10.42 ₡4,697

-61.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.25 R$41.20

$13.66 ₡6,156

-39.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R$10.53

$2.32 ₡1,044

-9.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.18

$1.61 ₡728

-22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 R$5.58

$4.74 ₡2,138

-76.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R$7.76

$1.66 ₡747

-6.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$5.78

$3.72 ₡1,679

-68.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.35

$3.57 ₡1,611

-70.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.74

$1.10 ₡497

-31.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.03

$2.55 ₡1,149

-68.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 R$11.83

$4.95 ₡2,232

-52.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.72 R$38.53

$20.01 ₡9,020

-61.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.93

$2.79 ₡1,256

-57.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 R$10.16

$3.53 ₡1,589

-42.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$4.96

$1.19 ₡537

-16.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.63 R$208

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-42.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 R$6.13

$2.24 ₡1,011

-45.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 R$4.09

$1.55 ₡701

-47.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.53 R$37.57

$8.86 ₡3,993

-15.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.02

$1.57 ₡708

-22.93%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$23.0K R$114.7K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

5.41%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.7K R$158.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-8.39%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$70.9 R$354

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-24.16%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.78 R$58.8

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-66.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.45 R$102

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-60.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.95 R$125

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-65.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.04 R$130

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-26.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.88 R$34.34

$7.84 ₡3,535

-12.24%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$287 R$1,434

$490 ₡220.7K

-41.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,899 R$34.4K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-41.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 R$265

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-1.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.56 R$237

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-14.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 R$445

$79.3 ₡35.7K

12.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.3 R$346

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-12.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$334 R$1,668

$786 ₡354.3K

-57.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 R$1,132

$780 ₡351.6K

-70.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 R$3,196

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-83.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 R$2,319

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-66.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$7,836

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-77.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,136 R$5,672

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-5.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

27.61%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Barreiras: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Barreiras

$227 27.1%

Nosara

$780 43% 244% $553

Groceries & Markets

Barreiras

$186 22.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 87.6% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Barreiras

$117 13.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 3.3% $3.8

Eating Out

Barreiras

$115 13.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 82% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barreiras

$103 12.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 74.6% $77

Getting Around

Barreiras

$51 6.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 70.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Barreiras

$39 4.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 125% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $334 in Barreiras and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Barreiras vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $350 per month, with Barreiras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Barreiras

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

02:35 2:35 AM

3 h behind Barreiras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,734

4,912

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Barreiras Nosara 5,120 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Barreiras
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Barreiras vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barreiras is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 123% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,238 in Barreiras and $2,756 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $334 in Barreiras versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $287 in Barreiras versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $825 in Barreiras versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Barreiras but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Barreiras the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Barreiras is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Barreiras and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Barreiras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 123% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.